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Ignacio 120-pounder Aven Bourriague can’t help but laugh as, for the second time following each of his two wins Wednesday night, Dec. 18, at the Dolores-hosted triangular, the public-address announcer mispronounced his last name. Bourriague defeated Monticello, Utah’s Diego Cortez via technical fall, and received a forfeit against San Juan Basin League rival DHS.
Ignacio’s Zane Pontine, left, controls Dolores’ River Wickstrom during their 157-pound bout in the SJBL teams’ meeting Wednesday night, Dec. 18, at the DHS-hosted triangular. Pontine won via technical fall, but the Bobcats came up short against the Bears, who won the dual 30-28.
Ignacio's Norman Hackett maintains a tight grip on the leg of Dolores' Kenji Edwards during their 138-pound bout in the SJBL teams' meeting Wednesday night, Dec. 18, at the DHS-hosted triangular. Edwards, however, would eventually win in the second period via pin, helping the Bears nip the Bobcats 30-28, after IHS had already lost 31-22 to Monticello, Utah.
Ignacio's Cameron Bell goes on the offensive against Dolores' Devlin Powell during their exhibition bout Wednesday night, Dec. 18, following IHS' 30-28 loss to the hosting Bears. Pinned at 126 pounds by a different opponent during the actual dual, Bell – used at 132 during IHS' 31-22 loss to Monticello, Utah, earlier in the triangular – recorded a technical-fall win over Devlin.
Photo Credit: Joel Priest | Special to the Drum
Photo Credit: Joel Priest | Special to the Drum
Photo Credit: Joel Priest | Special to the Drum
Photo Credit: Joel Priest | Special to the Drum
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Bobcats unlucky at Dolores triangular

Thursday - December 26, 2024 by Joel Priest | Special to the Drum

IHS loses close duals to DHS, Monticello 

Dolores may or may not have something of a ‘Comeback Wrestler-of-the-Year’ award. 

But were one to indeed exist, count Darren Hicks as the favorite to earn it. 

Despite not yet being truly up to speed, per se, in this winter’s early goings, the sophomore 144-pounder looked in fine enough form Wednesday night, Dec. 18, to first pin Monticello, Utah’s Ronnie Harris in DHS’ first dual of a home triangular, then did likewise to Ignacio’s Dillon Brann in the squad’s second. 

Hicks’ stick of Harris ended up being the Bears’ only head-to-head win in a 47-24 loss to the talented Buckaroos, while his pin of Brann increased the Bears’ first lead on the San Juan Basin League rival Bobcats to 18-11, en route to a 30-28 victory – a definite positive for DHS, what with a journey to Manti, Utah, for the Templar Holiday Classic (12/20-21) rapidly approaching. 

“Ignacio’s a great team. Awesome kids … coached by a great coach, and it’s an honor to battle against them, you know?” Dolores head coach Casen Eldredge said afterwards. “And being from Monticello [Eldredge graduated from MHS in 2004], it’s always a pride thing; they have a great program established there … . Both have state-ranked wrestlers, and we battled super tough; I didn’t see any of our guys give up – I couldn’t ask for anything more.” 

Kenji Edwards’ second-period pin of IHS’ Norman Hackett at 138 pounds had given Dolores a 12-11 advantage, after IHS’ Aven Bourriague started the dual winning by forfeit at 120 and teammate Josh Kerrigan more or less offset Cameron Bell’s loss by pin at 126 (he’d started the night listed at 132) with a technical-fall defeat of Mason Hill at 132. 

Following Hicks’ triumph, 150-pounder Nathan Hill received a forfeit increasing the Bears’ lead to 24-11 before Bobcat Zane Pontine defeated River Wickstrom by technical fall at 157. 165-pounder Lincoln deKay then followed up his earlier tech of MHS’ Tavon Black (a bout contested at Black’s 175 pounds) with a pin of DHS’ Kale Bates to bring the ’Cats back to 24-22, and Kendrick Nossaman then claimed forfeit points at 175 – putting Ignacio up 28-24. 

And with neither side represented at 106, 113, 190, nor heavyweight, Dolores 215-pounder Daniel Jacket’s forfeit win ultimately made the difference (Bell, however, tech’d Devlin Powell in a subsequent exhibition bout). He’d lost by pin in the third period against Monticello’s Jarum Robison; Nathan Hill, Wickstrom and Bates – each receiving a forfeit – were the Bears joining Hicks in winning individually against MHS. 

“This past weekend was his first tournament,” Eldredge said of Hicks. “He’d unfortunately missed last year with a back injury; second week, hurt his back and was out the whole season. The amount of hard work that he did to get back into wrestling shape – and just to heal his back – is nothing short of impressive; he’s a warrior and won’t give up for anything.” 

Narrowly defeated, 31-22, by MHS in the night’s opener, Ignacio had deKay, Bourriague, Pontine and Kerrigan each go 2-0 (entered at 126, Kerrigan notched a first-period pin of Buckaroo Miles Coleman and was then bumped up a weight to meet Mason Hill). Nossaman could have went 2-0, but accepted a match against MHS 190-pounder Tyson Wheeler and lost in the third period via technical fall (Robison and heavyweight Camren Carpenter then each won by forfeit to deny IHS the dual). 

“We wrestled well, but want to wrestle better,” said Ignacio head coach Jordan Larsen. “Little things to work on, you know, back in the (practice) room. Josh had a good night, was starting to open up on offense a little bit.” 

The Bobcats were to next compete Saturday, Dec. 21, at Walsenburg’s Pete & Ina Gomez Invitational. 

“Looking forward to it,” Larsen said. “They always have competition at all levels … and it’ll give (the Bobcats) a chance to see some tougher kids from the other side of the state. (WHS senior Giovanni) Aldretti at 157’s super-tough – we want a match with him – and I’m not sure who’s at 65s … probably somebody tough. Same with Bourriague; I think there’s a kid from Swink (Trinidad State-bound senior Thomas Valdez) that’s super-tough … . We’re just looking forward to getting those matchups so that we can work on things for the ‘big show’ in about a month and a half.” 

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